Swallows nesting in a kitchen.

Swallow nests in a kitchen in Taiwan. Credit David Wheatley.

One of our readers, David Wheatley, writes from Taiwan.

Unbelievable thing I saw on Saturday - a swallow's nest inside somebody's kitchen!!

I teach English in Taiwan and was at a student's parents' home on Saturday. I'm sitting in the kitchen and notice a nest on the ceiling. "What's that?" I ask, thinking it might be a wasp's nest. 'A swallow', they say.

Apparently a swallow started a nest in their kitchen 30 year's ago! Swallows return to the same nest, so obviously the offspring are taking over when the parents die. Taiwanese swallows don't migrate, so these swallows return in the evening to sleep - and have been doing so for thirty years!!

The swallows have only learnt to fly through the kitchen door, so the family let them out in the morning and let them back in again at night. During the breeding season one of the family stays in the house all day long as they can't close the doors, to guard against burglaries.

Ray - my student - took a couple of photos, showing the nest. This is certainly a first for me, maybe you've heard of this happening before?

Swallows nesting in a kitchen in Taiwan. Credit David Wheatley